Does your child really need supplements?

Many of today’s parents are supplementing their child’s diet with supplements — multivitamins, omega-3’s, probiotics, and minerals like calcium — to support and promote their health.  But, does your child really need to take supplements?

While most pediatricians feel that providing your child with a healthy, balanced diet is the best defense against developing health issues, it’s often difficult to get your child to eat healthy meals as often as you would like considering your and their hectic schedules. Instead, children are eating a lot more processed foods for meals and snacks which are a pretty poor source of vitamins and minerals.

Before adding supplements to your child’s daily routine, you should keep track of what your family eats on a weekly basis to decide which vitamins or minerals he or she may be lacking. If your kids eat a diet rich in fish, fruits, and vegetables, chances are they’re meeting most of the RDA for most vitamins and minerals essential to supporting and maintaining good health.

However, many children aren’t getting enough vitamin D, calcium, omega-3’s, or fiber in their diets, and that’s where adding a high-quality supplement makes good sense.

Can taking supplements hurt?

If you decide to add supplements to your child’s daily routine, it’s important that you make sure that he or she is taking the right amount of supplements. There are no health benefits to taking more than the RDA of vitamins and minerals, and if your child is getting an overload of vitamins and minerals on a regular basis, it can have negative effects.

For example, taking too much vitamin C can cause nausea, diarrhea, and stomach cramps. Too much vitamin A can cause headaches and skin rashes.  

If your child is having trouble with constipation, it could be due to a lack of fiber in his or her diet.  Studies have shown that about 50% of kids don’t get enough fiber in their diets. This is a good example of adding a supplement to your child’s diet for a specific reason — to relieve constipation and prevent it from occurring in the future.

But, it’s important to look for a fiber supplement specially formulated for young children.

Even toddlers need supplements sometime

Constipation is a common problem for young children, especially toddlers who are experimenting with lots of different foods and are often picky eaters. You try to encourage them to eat vegetables and fruit to get more fiber, but it can be a uphill battle.

Vibrant Nutraceuticals Yummy Fiber, a liquid fiber supplement for toddlers, helps maintain healthy bowel movements and supports digestive health. Made for kids, it has a natural, mild fruit flavor without the grit.  It’s sourced from 100% natural fiber and is gluten-free so it’s safe to take.

Each tablespoon of Yummy Fiber contains 7 grams of dietary fiber.  Just mix it with juice, yogurt, applesauce, or your child’s favorite foods.  It can be added to any food or liquid, whether it’s hot or cold.